DBS & Google have become aware of 'spoofing' emails sent to some AdWords advertisers recently. 'Spoofing' refers to the act of fraudulently altering certain properties of an email to make it appear as though it originated from a legitimate source. The email can then lead to a deceptive website which collects sensitive personal information. In this case, the email may have appeared to be from Google AdWords, asking for your account login information. Please do not respond to these emails.
Here are some steps you can take to ensure the security of your account:
1.) Be wary of unsolicited messages. Google will never send unsolicited messages asking for your password or other sensitive information. If you need to change your account information, such as your billing details or your password, always sign into your AdWords account from https://adwords.google.co.uk and make the changes directly within your account.
2.) Check the message headers. The 'From': address and the 'Return-path' should reference the same source.
3.) Make sure that the URL is legitimate. The AdWords home page URL will always be https://adwords.google.co.uk.
4.) Change your Google Account password frequently. To learn how, visit https://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=24828&hl=en_GB.
5.) Report suspicious messages to adwords-charge@google.com.
6.) Keep your computer's antivirus and spyware protections up-to-date and regularly run system scans.
If you believe your Google AdWords account may have been compromised, please let DBS know so that we can initiate an investigation.